Confessions of a showbiz child and lifestyle writer on her memoirs, the comings and goings of Philippine show business and occasionally, on what's worth checking out in Manila.
Come and visit this part of my world :)

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Day Surgery? Visit The Beverly Hills Medical Group In Manila

Heads up. This is not the Beverly Hills that endorses that hideous "Miss Ugly" campaign that is so derogatory to the Filipina. This new multi-specialty surgery center has nothing to do with the center holed up at the 6750 building on Ayala. Okay, enough about them.

A Multi-Specialty Surgery Center is center that specializes in not one but many types of surgeries. BHMG offers and has over 10 Centers of Excellence taht include among others -- Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Cosmetic Laser and Dermatology procedures, General and Vascular surgery, Gastroenterology, Gynecology Surgery, Otolaryngology (ENT) Surgery, Podiatry, Orthopedic and Sports Medicine, Pain Management, Urology and Men's Health. An Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) is also known as a Day Surgery Center. This is a center where elective types of procedures, diagnostic or therapeutic, is performed on a patient and the patient is able to go home a few hours after the surgery. There are no emergency surgeries performed here, and so, as the Medical Director, Dr. Eric Arcilla, explained to me, there is no danger of getting "bumped off" out of the Operating Room in favor of a higher priority patient. "Your surgery will definitely proceed as scheduled," he stresses.

Shades of "Grey's Anatomy"

Among the procedures that can be performed at BHMG are the following -- Under the dermatological services there is EMAX Hair Removal, EMAX Skin Tightening, EMAX Skin Rejuvenation, BOTOX, Microdermabrasion (Diamond Peel) and Dermatologicsurgery. For Cosmetic Surgery there is Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Lift), Breast Enhancement or Augmentation, Face Lift, Liposuction, and Rhinoplasty. Array of plastic and reconstructive surgery procedures can also be performed at BHMG. Among the other out patient procedures for Gastroenterology that can be performed here are - Endoscopy (upper and lower), Polypectomy, Colonoscopy, Sigmoidoscopy. Under General and Vasculat Surgery there is dermal cyst excision, Cholecystectomy (gallbladder surgery), Hernia repair and Thyroidectomy and other procedures. For the Gynecologic Surgery there is D&C, Tubal Ligation, Perineorrhaphy and Perinealplasty (vaginal rejuvenation). Surgical procedures in the areas of Orthopedics, Otolaryngology and Urology may also be performed at the center. Post-surgery, a patient can choose from either a private recovery room (complete with a bathroom and a plasma TV) or the common recovery room which is just as good.

BHASI which is the parent company of BHMG is a Beverly Hills, California based Multi-Specialty Surgery Center that has been in exsitence for 11 years and licensed by the State of California Department of Health Services as well as Medicare Certified by the U.S. Federal Government. The center in Beverly Hills has been featured in the television series Extreme Makeover, Discovery Channel and the Lifetime Channel. Their doctors have been guests on Oprah, The Tyra Banks Show, Entertainment Tonight and Larry King Live.

BHASI's President and CEO is Maria Rebujio, a Filipina-American who was born and raised in the United States of parents whose lineage is originally from Pangasinan. She is married to George, who is also a Filipino and a former NASA engineer. Maria tells me that "The goal here at BHMG is to provode world-class healthcare by following the strictest guidelines and procedures set forth by U.S. Medical health standards. We want to provide the finest outpatient surgical care services here in the Philippines." Maria, who is a nurse by training knows all about the business since she was an OR Plastic Surgery nurse for many, many years before striking out on her own and opened up BHASI from scratch.

I asked if their prices were "Beverly Hills" rates as well and she immediately said, "No we are very competitive. No Beverly Hills prices here but you get the same care and facilities that you would get in the U.S. " All of BHMG's doctors are board certified and belong to the creme de la creme of their specialties. Take a peek here to see who is on the BHMG roster. They are all credentialed and graduates from the best medical schools in the country. In addition, BHMG is medically licensed as an Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) by the Philippine Department of Health Services (DOH).

Recovery Room

My sister in-law gave me a tour of the facilities and really, I was very much impressed with the cleanliness, the lay-out and the equipment that I saw. It was even way better than some of the private hospitals we have in the country. On the day I was there, the OR's were busy with two liposuction procedures. BHMG is the only ASC in the country with all of its medical gases implemented throughoutthe entire operating room and recovery room using National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. The airconditioning system is designed strictly for medical facilities. BHMG boasts of the only HEPA and Laminair Air Flow filtration system in the country. This system ensures a minimum particle-collection efficiency of 99.97% while the Lamianr flow diffusers supply a non-aspirating continuous column of air where it is most critical - above the operating table. The Laminair flow system that is installed meets the American College of Surgeon's requirements. The width of the hallways and the doors in the entire facililty are all in accordance with U.S. standards. With guarded gated entries, private entrance and exit, and secured ground floor access and parking, BHMG offers the utmost in complete client discretion.

Beverly Hills Medical Group is located at 57 Paseo De Roxas Avenue, Makati City. For more information on their dermatological and surgery services call 81-90210.